Just the Way You Are
by BlackFalcon269
Summary: After a nasty breakup with Geoff, Bridgette is having trouble with her confidence. Can a karaoke party and a certain gap-toothed tech geek change that? Songfic, Codette storyline.


**Title:** Just the Way You Are

**Summary:** After a nasty breakup with Geoff, Bridgette is having trouble with her confidence. Can a karaoke party and a certain gap-toothed tech geek change that?

**Pairings:** (Main) Cody/Bridgette (Side) Gwen/Noah, Trent/Lindsay, Duncan/Leshawna, Geoff/Heather

**Disclaimer:** You know, the usual "I own nothing" stuff, you get the picture. The song is "Just the Way You Are" by Bruno Mars.

**ANYWAYS, ON WITH THE SHOW!**

"_Man, this is an awesome Party" _Cody thought to himself as he walked through the crowded dance floor to the bar. It had indeed been an awesome party. Owen had decided to throw a massive party in celebration of finally being released from their contracts by Chris, who had dubbed them 'too familiar' to get decent ratings, though they hardly cared. They were just glad to be free after three years of torture.

Cody slid into a seat at the bar next to his best friend Noah. The cynic was smiling a rarely-seen genuine smile, as he sat in between his best friend and his gothic girlfriend. Gwen also looked rather happy to the point of laughter, and had covered her mouth. When Cody raised a questioning eyebrow, Noah simply smirked and pointed to the other end of the bar, where a slightly tipsy Lindsay was being helped into her seat by a concerned Trent. Cody had seen Lindsay knocking some shots back earlier, so he wasn't at all surprised to see her like this.

"Uhh Troy, why is the room spinning...?" was all he could hear escape Lindsay's lips before her head fell forward onto the bar with a resounding "THUMP!" This time Gwen couldn't hold it in, and burst into laughter. Cody and Noah quickly joined her as Trent grinned sheepishly at them.

"Seems like everyone's enjoying themselves" Cody said as he spun around to look across the dance floor. He could see all the others dancing and laughing, yet someone seemed to be missing.

"Not everyone" Gwen said solemnly, pointing over Cody's shoulder. He turned his head to see what she meant, his face falling. At a small table in the corner of the room, a pair of girls could be seen. The first, a tan girl with shoulder length brown hair was trying futilely to comfort the second from crying, her usual blonde ponytail lying in a mess over her shoulders.

"Poor Bridgette, she's still torn up about what happened?" Cody asked, turning back to them.

"Wouldn't you be?" Noah asked raising an eyebrow. "Your boyfriend dumps you in front of everyone, then goes and snogs Queen Bitch right in front of you? Even my stone heart would be moved by that" Cody sighed and nodded, thinking back to what happened.

_One week earlier..._

"_But Geoff, how could you even think about this?"_

"_I'm sorry Bridge, but I've moved on"_

_They were back at Playa das Losers, having this conversation loud and clear, everyone staring, not daring to say a thing._

"_Is this still about the pole thing?" Bridgette asked, even though that was months ago. Still you couldn't tell with Geoff nowadays. He always seemed more grouchy and vindictive, and his party-boy persona had completely vanished._

"_NO!" He shouted, startling everything. "It's nothing to do with that. I'm just not interested anymore" Bridgette gasped audibly at this. Cody raised an eyebrow, wondering what Geoff could possibly be thinking._

"_I mean, look at yourself" Geoff continued. You've just stayed the same for three years. We've grown apart. I'd rather have a girl who's got more of an edge." As if on cue, Heather slowly slinked her way to Geoff's side and sneered at Bridgette, who was still unable to say anything. Geoff grinned just as wickedly as Heather as he delivered the final twist of the knife._

"_Besides, she's way hotter than you" He said venomously, before kissing Heather in full view of everyone. They walked off, arms around each other's waist, parting the crowd. Bridgette audibly sobbed and ran off to the hotel, accidentally knocking Harold into the pool._

_After that, all hell had broken loose. Duncan, Gwen, Leshawna, Izzy and Courtney had all got into an argument about which one of them would get to beat the crap out of Geoff and Heather, while Trent, Lindsay and DJ had gone to check Bridgette was okay. Cody, Noah and Ezekiel watched all this silently while Harold climbed out of the pool._

"_So what happens noo, eh?" Ezekiel asked, clearly confused._

"_Now, we stay silent. Would be best not to get in the way of anyone else" Noah said. Harold agreed readily and so did Ezekiel. Cody wanted to say something, but knew better and nodded._

"_I wish I could do something for her though..." He though sadly..._

_-End Flashback-_

"I wish I could do something for her" Cody said leaning back on the bar, sighing. He had always had a soft spot for Bridgette. She was always so cool and down to Earth, and probably the nicest person on the island. Plus she looked great, even now she looked okay.

"Well yeah but what exactly?" Noah asked sceptically. "Not like we can just go over there and tell her everything's going to be okay. The girls been through hell" He knocked his drink back and sighed, knowing what would come next.

"Someone needs to say something." Gwen said, softly knocking him on the back of the head.

"I don't see you jumping at the chance." Noah replied, in his usual sarcastic tone. Before Gwen could retort, Cody had popped up between them.

"Guys, no need to argue about it, I was going anyway" He said, flashing his usual gap-toothed grin. Noah looked at him deadpan, while Gwen smiled. Cody still couldn't resist that smile, and Noah clicked his fingers to snap him out of it.

"Just get going. And good luck" he said, his trademark smirk back on his face. Cody turned and headed out over the dance floor, weaving between the dancing bodies. He was alert for any sign of distraction, especially if was in the form of...

"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" was all Cody heard as he instinctively ducked, the purple-haired blur whizzing over his head and crashing into a group of people. He looked over to see Sierra entangled with a surprised Duncan and a very disgruntled looking Leshawna, who had been dancing together at the time. Cody kept moving, not wanting to risk getting jumped again. He had talked with Sierra many times about her obsessive behaviour, but she still had some trouble keeping her cool around him.

He reached the table and slid in across from them. He coughed slightly, causing Courtney's head to shoot up. She looked at him dangerously. "What is it?" she hissed so Bridgette couldn't hear her.

"Just wanted to see if you wanted to take a break" Cody said. Courtney sighed and shuffled over to speak to him without drawing the surfer girl's attention.

"I can't just leave her and 'have a break'" she said earnestly. "If you hadn't noticed, I'm the only one who actually realizes what she's going through." Ever since the end of series 3, Courtney had calmed down considerably, and had reverted to how she had been when she first came to the island three years ago, as in not a controlling and psychotic witch, but rather her old nice and friendly attitude, but still with a slight edge to her. Cody had to admit that after the whole Duncan and Gwen fiasco, she would have the best idea of how Bridgette felt.

"Look" he said. "I know I have no idea about what Bridgette's been through, but I know she needs to talk to someone. I also know that you need to take a break before you go crazy on her. You can trust me, just go relax, have some fun" He flashed a grin, which Courtney returned, before briefly hugging him, much to his surprise.

"Thanks, call me if you need anything" she said before getting up and walking off. Cody watched her go then turned back to the matter at hand. Bridgette's head lay on the table; she might have been asleep if it wasn't for the quiet sobbing that she was still emitting from beneath her blonde hair.

Cody looked at her unsure of what to say, eventually opting to tap her shoulder. She raised her head towards him, and Cody got a look at her face for the first time all week. The bags under her eyes indicated that she hadn't been sleeping well, and her eyes themselves were practically bloodshot from crying so much. Her hair was messy and the mascara that she had worn to the party had run.

"Uhhh, hey Cody, where'd Courtney go?" she asked, sitting up.

"I told her, I'd make sure you were okay while she got a drink" Cody said. "I wanted to see how you were doing as well" he looked at her earnestly and she sighed and looked away.

"I've been better" she said resignedly, before remembering how she must look.

"Oh, God I must look terrible, I'll be right back" She said, before bolting to the bathroom.

"I didn't think you looked that bad" Cody said as she left, though she didn't hear him. He sighed and lay back in the chair, wishing he knew what to say.

Bridgette looked at herself in the mirror, and it took all her willpower not to break down in tears again. She was a mess. Even Ezekiel on a bad day looked better than this.

"Look at you" she said bitterly, staring at her reflection. "No wonder Geoff dumped you. You were never good enough for him!" Her fist collided with the mirror, a small crack appearing, as she turned away, before sinking to the floor.

"God, I'm pathetic" she said as she curled her knees up, burying her head in her arms.

"Now girl, I know for a fact that none of that is true." A voice said in front of her. Bridgette looked up to see Leshawna and Gwen standing in front of her. Leshawna helped her up And sat her on the counter, while Gwen ran the tap and fetched some tissues.

"Listen girl, I don't know where you got this thinking from, but you gotta snap out of it and quick" Leshawna said as she wiped the stained makeup of Bridgette's face. "If you don't pull yourself together, you're just letting Geoff win"

"Well what else can I do?" Bridgette asked incredulously, fixing her blue jacket, which had gone askew. "The only guy I've ever had a serious relationship with dumps me for the meanest girl on Earth, and you expect me to just move on from it. Besides it's not like I've got hordes of boys chasing after me." She sighed and leant back on the mirror. "Geoff was the only guy whoever liked me for me. I'm never going to find another like him."

"I wouldn't be so sure" said Gwen as she passed a hairbrush over to her. "You may not have hordes of boys, but I know one guy who is certainly interested in you"

"Really?" Bridgette asked as she brushed her hair back into its usual neatness before tying it back in her ponytail. "It's not Owen is it? He's sweet but he needs to improve his manners"

"No stupid, Cody" Gwen said like it was the most obvious statement in the world. Bridgette just looked at her incredulously.

"Seriously?" she said, finishing her hair. "I thought he was still crushing on you." Gwen blushed.

"He probably still does, but he's seriously into you. Haven't you noticed how he always gives you little compliments, saying how good you look? I've been on the end of those wistful stares enough times to know how he feels"

Bridgette was silent as she contemplated this. Could Cody really have a crush on her? He was a genuine guy, and really nice, but she couldn't see him as boyfriend material.

"I don't know" she said weakly. "He's sweet and all, but I don't think I'm really ready. Besides, I don't know that much about him."

"All you need to know is that he likes you, he's sweet, and he's not bad looking" Leshawna said simply. Bridgette smiled and checked her hair once more.

"Well since you're so eager to get me to like him, I guess I can give him a chance" she said simply, before leaving the bathroom. She was eager to get back to the table and see if Cody was as eager as it was assumed.

_Meanwhile..._

Cody lay back in the chair, sipping his drink slowly.

"_Where is she?"_ He thought to himself as he looked around the dance floor. He was getting worried now. Bridgette had been gone for nearly twenty minutes, and he wasn't sure if it was smart to let her go on her own. He sighed again. He had been thinking of what to say for a while now, but the words just wouldn't come out. How was he supposed to tell the most wonderful person he ever met how he felt? He was no good with words. Why did everything have to be so complicated...

"Hey Codester, How's it going?" Cody looked up to see Trent and Lindsay sitting down next to him. Lindsay seemed to have sobered up a little since she last saw her, and was back to her usual smiley self. Cody smiled at them weakly.

"Okay I guess" He said. "You seem to have got a bit better" he said to Lindsay, who beamed back.

"Yeah I'm okay now Colby" she said ditzily. "I guess I drank a bit too much earlier, but no worries, how 'bout you"

"Been better" Cody said absentmindedly. "Have you guys seen Bridgette anywhere? She went to the bathroom about 20 minutes ago and I haven't seen her since."

"I was just in there, Greta and Lafonda said she had just left." Lindsay answered, while Trent rolled his eyes.

"Why so worried anyway? Haven't told her yet?" Trent asked, grinning as Cody nodded.

"Told her what?" Lindsay asked curiously. Trent whispered the statement in her ear. Cody was surprised she didn't know; Lindsay was usually the first to hear all the gossip. Her eyes lit up and she clasped her hands together.

"Oh Colby, that's adorable" She said sweetly. "You and Brianna would be so cute together."

"Yeah..." Cody said, trailing off. "But I have no idea how to tell her. Every time I think of something I trip over my words and mess up. Why does it have to be so hard?" He clasped his head in his hands, the sudden urge to puke overwhelming him. He held his breath and calmed himself down.

"Look it doesn't need to be as hard as you're making it for yourself." Trent said patting him on the shoulder. Cody looked at him witheringly.

"You're thinking too much" Trent said simply. "You just need to say what you know is true and it will all come naturally. That's how it happened with Lindsay and me." He said, sitting back in the chair. Cody looked at him sceptically.

"Yeah well you have it easy" he retorted. "All you had to do was sing her a song on that guitar of yours and she was all over..." He trailed of as his mine hit a home run idea.

"That's it!" He said excitedly. He rose to his feet and headed out onto the dance floor quickly, making his way to the stage. He dodged through dancing bodies before colliding with one heavily, knocking them both to the ground he saw who it was.

"Bridgette" he said getting to his feet and helping her up.

"Oh, sorry Cody, I can be so clumsy sometimes. God, I'm such an idiot" She said sadly hanging her head. Cody looked at her. She had been like this ever since Geoff had dumped her. She was down on herself, had lost her confidence, and didn't think she was anything special. Well he was going to prove her wrong.

"No you're not" he said simply as Bridgette looked at him. "You're a great friend, a great person, and overall, a beautiful girl" Her mouth fell open. Was this really how Cody felt about her? They both blushed visibly before Cody continued speaking.

"Head back to the table we were at earlier, I'll be right back" He said before moving past her.

Bridgette slowly walked back to the table. Her thoughts were all jumping around in her head.

"_Did he really say what I think he said?" _she thought to herself. _"He called me beautiful? But why? I don't see what he thinks about me is so great"_ She sighed as she reached the table, but perked up seeing Courtney had returned and was chatting with Lindsay and Trent.

"Hey guys, how's it going?" She said slipping in next to Courtney.

"Hi Brianna! Hey did Colby find you? He looked like he had something important to do" Lindsay said concernedly.

"Yeah, he said he was going to be right back" she looked out over the crowds but she couldn't see him anywhere. She smiled warmly as she remembered his words.

"You look a bit better." Courtney said happily. Bridgette nodded, but sighed.

"What's up?" Trent asked as she leant back in her chair.

"Well, ever since what happened with Geoff, I've not really been very secure with who I am." Bridgette said slowly as Courtney frowned. "I mean, I don't feel like I'm able to actually be with anyone else after Geoff, we were together for ages, and it was my first actual relationship. Now I just don't know if I'm good enough for anyone else anymore" She rested her head on the table a single tear trickling from her eye. Before any of the others could object they were interrupted by Owens loud voice booming over the speakers.

"What's up Total Drama Buddies?" He asked loudly as everyone turned to look up. Owen was standing on the large stage at the back of the dance hall. Next to him stood a large machine with a screen and two microphones.

"Now as you know, tonight was a karaoke night and we have had some great songs played already, including an excellent rendition of 'Livin La Vida Loca' from our good friend Duncan" he said, throwing thumbs up at the punk, who simply shrugged as Leshawna playfully swatted his shoulder.

"Now, though..." Owen continued. "Our next star performer is waiting in the wings. He's been mauled by a bear, molested by a stalker, and for some reason still has the bra Gwen gave him in Season 1..." (Bridgette looked up, noticing Gwen blush fiercely while Noah face palmed) "...Please welcome to the stage, Everyone's favourite tech geek, Cody!" Everyone cheered loudly as Cody walked out. He stood at one of the microphones awkwardly before speaking.

"Hey, before I start, I just want to say something." He said as everyone calmed down. "Tonight, this song is going to someone who's very important to me. She's been through a lot lately, and this is just to let her know how I feel." He nodded at Owen who pressed play on the machine. As the song started, a simple piano melody followed by backing singers, Cody leaned back towards the mike.

"Bridgette this is for you" he said simply before the first verse kicked in.

**Oh her eyes, her eyes  
>Make the stars look like they're not shining<br>Her hair, her hair  
>Falls perfectly without her trying<br>She's so beautiful  
>And I tell her every day<strong>

Bridgette's head snapped up as she recognized the song. She sat bolt upright, staring at the boy on the stage. He couldn't really be singing to _her_ about this; could he?

"Aww, that's so sweet" Lindsay cooed as Cody continued.

**Yeah I know, I know  
>When I compliment her<br>She won't believe me  
>And it's so, it's so<br>Sad to think she don't see what I see  
>But every time she asks me do I look okay<br>I say...**

"_Now or never"_ Cody thought to himself as he put all his energy into the chorus.

**When I see your face  
>There's not a thing that I would change<br>'Cause you're amazing  
>Just the way you are<br>And when you smile,  
>The whole world stops and stares for awhile<br>'Cause girl you're amazing  
>Just the way you are<strong>

The others started whooping and cheering as Cody smiled out at the crowd, seeing the one face he wanted to see. That of a surfer girl at the back, a huge smile on her face. His grin broadened and he launched back into the song.

**Her lips, her lips  
>I could kiss them all day if she'd let me<br>Her laugh, her laugh  
>She hates but I think it's so sexy<br>She's so beautiful  
>And I tell her every day<strong>

Bridgette moved her way through the crowd, trying to get to the front. She just wanted to be near him, to thank him properly.

**Oh you know, you know, you know  
>I'd never ask you to change<br>If perfect is what you're searching for  
>Then just stay the same<br>So don't even bother asking  
>If you look okay<br>You know I say**

Cody looked down at Bridgette, grinning again. He gave a quick wink in her direction before the chorus picked up again.

**When I see your face  
>There's not a thing that I would change<br>Cause you're amazing  
>Just the way you are<br>And when you smile,  
>The whole world stops and stares for awhile<br>Cause girl you're amazing  
>Just the way you are<strong>

**The way you are  
>The way you are<br>Girl you're amazing  
>Just the way you are<strong>

Bridgette had finally got to the front of the stage. She looked up at the boy up there almost in awe. Cody grabbed her hand and pulled her up on the stage he held her close as he continued singing, his eyes never once leaving hers.

**When I see your face**

**There's not a thing that I would change  
>Cause you're amazing<br>Just the way you are  
>And when you smile<br>The whole world stops and stares for awhile  
>Cause girl you're amazing<br>Just the way you are.**

The song ended as they stared into each other's eyes, as everyone else clapped and cheered around.

"You mean it?" Bridgette asked, still somewhat unsure.

"Every single word Bridgette" Cody said tenderly. "I love you"

She grinned wider than ever, as their lips crashed into each other's, a seal on their newfound love as everyone cheered around them.

"I love you too" she said softly. They smiled and walked off to the hotel, knowing that this would be a night they would not soon forget.

**-*END*-**

**YES IT'S FINALLY DONE! This took me about 2 weeks because of exams and revision. Any way I did this because there is a lack of Codette fics, which is my fav couple in existence. I also really like this song at the minute and thought I could incorporate it in some way. Plz leave reviews and comments, constructive criticism and advice expected and accepted.**


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